Canada's #1 Junior Golf Tour

June 20-21, 2015
Spruce Grove, AB

Melville races off with MJT Ford series win in Spruce Grove

Spruce Grove, AB – (June 22, 2015) – Bryce Melville, from Morinville, AB, raced to victory in the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour’s MJT Ford Series at the Links at Spruce Grove Golf Club in Spruce Grove, AB, over the Father’s Day weekend, shooting 71-73 (144) to go Low Overall and win the MJT Junior Boys 17-19 title.

This was despite a hail storm and rain which caused a one hour delay on Saturday June 20th.  Sunday was beautiful weather and the golf course was in great shape with the hosting of PGA Tour Canada qualifying coming up shortly.

Melville, 19, who currently plays at Mesa Community College in AZ and beat runner-up Matt Codd of Red Deer by four strokes, said, “The course was in great shape – could not ask for any better – and I made a fair amount of long putts on day one. This was my biggest win of my career on the MJT!”

In the MJT Juvenile Boys 15-16 division, Jeremie Pasitney, 16, of St. Paul, AB, put together solid scores of 79-78 (157) to win by four strokes over Austin Noskiye of Stony Plain, AB. Pasitney said the key to his victory was ‘hitting greens, nailing down my pars and getting a few birdies in the second round.’ He added, “This win feels awesome – it gives me confidence going into more events and a critique of where my game is.”

First place in the MJT Bantam Boys division was a tie between Ethan de Graaf, 14, of Edmonton, AB, (76-82=158) and Griffin Wilson of Swift Current, SK, (77-81=158), with the trophy having to be decided in a playoff. De Graaf went on to win his second MJT in a row, saying the playoff victory was his highlight, and ‘it feels great to get back-to-back wins!’

11-year-old Cole Bergheim of Red Deer edged out the competition in the MJT Peewee Boys division by one stroke after a much improved second round, carding scores of 87-79 (166). Runner-up was Richard Dou, 12, of Calgary (85, 82=167). Bergheim said after the tournament, “I had a 30 foot birdie that got me started. It feels pretty good to get my first win of the year!”

Alicia Easthope, 16, of St. Albert, AB, was the sole Girls 15-19 competitor and shot solid back-to-back rounds of 80 for a total score of 160, while Grace Cho, 14, of Edmonton, won the Girls 14 and under title with scores of 91, 96 (187).

Ethan De Graaf and Jeremie Pasitney have now both qualified for the 2015 North American Junior Amateur Championship (NAJA) in Arizona. Players also competed in Skills Competitions where the divisional winners were as follows:

Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition winners:

U15 Girls: Alexa Wingnean • Derrick • Edmonton, AB
Peewee Boys: Richard Dou • River Spirit GC • Calgary, AB
Bantam Boys: Brody Eggleton • Sturgeon Valley Golf and Counrty Club • Sturgeon County, AB
Juvenile Boys: Zach Rivard • Inglewood Golf Club • Calgary , AB
Junior Boys: Jordan Williamson • Balmoral golf course • Red Deer, AB

Sligo Closest-to-the-Pin Competition winners:

U15 Girls: Grace Cho • Edmonton, AB
Peewee Boys: Luke Quanson • The Derrick Golf and Winter Club • Edmonton, AB
Bantam Boys: Angelo Esguerra • Calgary, AB
Juvenile Boys: Keighton McNab • The willows golf and country • Saskatoon, SK
Junior Boys: Patrick Gobran • Royal Mayfair Golf Club • Edmonton, AB

Golf Town Comeback Award winners for best second day improvement in score:

U15 Girls: Brooke Brezovski • Sturgeon Valley • St Albert, AB
Peewee Boys: Luke Quanson • The Derrick Golf and Winter Club • Edmonton, AB
Bantam Boys: Jackson Schneider • Elmwood Swift Current • Swift Current, SK
Juvenile Boys: Brock Chelle • Derrick GC • Edmonton, AB
Junior Boys: Eric Hollman • Spruce Grove, AB

The next Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour event in the province is the MJT Ford Series/PGA of Alberta Junior. Championship at McKenzie Meadows Golf Club in Calgary on July 20th to July 22nd. It is a qualifier for the 2015 IMG Academy Junior World Match Play as well as the MJT International Team Challenge in Niagara Falls this September. For more information or to register please visit www.maplejt.com or call 1-877-859-4653.

About the MJT:

The non-profit Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour presented by Boston Pizza is Canada¹s number-one played Junior Golf Tour as well as the only national junior tour run exclusively by PGA of Canada Professionals and the ‘Road to College Golf’ in Canada. The organization is generously supported by Boston Pizza and Premier Partners Ford of Canada, Mr. Lube, Cleveland Golf, Srixon, Gatorade and Travel Underwriters, in addition to valued Tournament and Product Partners. The MJT hosts more than 70 events across Canada, including free Ford Go Golf Junior Clinics, the MJT Mini Tour for 7-12 year olds, and multi-day events for competitive players which also qualify juniors for international competitions. The program offers annual awards, scholarships, and frequent player incentives to help reward player's performance and participation throughout each season. MJT alumni include many Professional Tour players and PGA of Canada Professionals, as well as Canadian Amateur, National and Provincial Junior Champions. The MJT aims to develop champions, in golf and in life, promoting the game from grassroots through to provincial, national, university and professional level.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour: Elaine Denton, Director of Marketing and Administration   edenton@maplejt.com   1-877-859-GOLF